Step 1: Make an .svg File of the Shape You Want to Extrude

First get a shape that you want to extrude. It needs to be in a vector graphics format, not bitmap (or raster) format. Read up if you're not familiar with these terms.

To get a vector graphic you have three options:

Download it. You could use Google Advanced Image Search and limit your search to .svg files, a common vector graphics format on the web. You want to make sure you have permission before you use anyone else's drawings, though.

Make a digital trace. If you do have a raster image (bitmap), then you can convert it to a vector graphic with Illustrator's live trace or Inkscape's trace features, which are fun to play with. Keep in mind that these features are not magic, and you'll have to fiddle around a lot to get the graphic right.

Then save the file as .svg format.

Step 2: Convert the .svg to OpenSCAD Format

OpenSCAD is the software that will extrude the object for us. However, we first need to convert the .svg to OpenSCAD format in Inkscape using the magic of this Thing.

Step 3: Render and Generate an .stl File

Now download and install OpenSCAD. OpenSCAD is a CAD program that doesn't have an interactive graphical user interface for drawing objects. Instead it uses its own scripting language. Fortunately for our purposes here you don't need to learn the language. But now that you know it exists, you're probably going to want to learn it. Right?

Getting down to business in OpenSCAD:

File -> Open to open the .scad file made in the last step. If you get warnings, just ignore them.Design -> Compile and Render to build the object. This might take a while, depending on how complex your object is. Once the rendering is complete, Design -> Export to STL to export the file for printing.

The .stl file should be ready to print! However, if you first want a better look at your rendered object, you could open it up in SketchUp.

How much would you charge me to take a pic and turn it into a clean useable .stl file I am new to this and its confusing. I would pay $25? Please let me know asap, tpattonjr@yahoo.com or call me, TERRY@734.492.2592